Page 348 - YC Cooking School

Invest in a good quality, heavy-based pot

When making nougat, it's vital to have a good quality, heavy-based pot for even heat
distribution, and to prevent the sugar from burning.

Take extra care when working with sugar syrups
Melted sugar reaches extremely high temperatures, so it's important to take care and pay

attention, especially if there are children around.

Add corn syrup or liquid glucose for a smoother finish
Recipes involving sugar syrups will often call for corn syrup (US), liquid glucose, or even
simple golden syrup. These 'interfere with' and help to prevent the formation of sugar

crystals, so it's particularly useful when making delicate delicacies such as nougat and
marshmallows.

Avoid stirring
As with the salted caramel, go for a low to medium heat and allow the sugar to melt on its

own, without too much agitation or stirring, as this can cause sugar crystals to 'reconnect'
and the mixture to crystallise – especially if you haven’t used corn syrup or liquid glucose.

A pastry brush comes in handy
When melting sugar or making a sugar syrup, use a pastry brush that has been dipped in

hot water to wash the sugar crystals down from the side of the pot.

Keep an eye on your thermometer
When the sugar syrup reaches 120 °C, it’s time to separate the eggs. When it reaches 130
°C, whip the egg whites and add the icing sugar to build the meringue. When it reaches 141-

143 °C, the time has come to add the sugar syrup slowly to the meringue mixture.

Wipe your mixing bowl clean
Before whisking the egg whites, it’s important that the whisk and bowl are completely clean
and grease free. To make sure of this, add a few drops of lemon juice to the bowl and then
wipe it clean.

Arm yourself with strength or invite a friend over
You might want to invite a strong friend around when you’re making nougat, as the final
mixture can be really thick and stiff, and quite difficult to scrape out onto your baking tray
for cooling. To make the scraping process a little easier, coat your spatula with oil or cooking

spray.

For something a little special
Once you've made your nougat, dip it in melted chocolate for something a little more
decadent.

Nougat is like a sponge

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